


"Anna Molly" - [A Robert Laing(Tom Hiddleston)/Sebastian Stan Halloween story]

by A_Wolf



Category: British Actor RPF, High-Rise (2015), Sebastian Stan - Fandom, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom, hiddlestoners
Genre: A.Wölf, F/M, Halloween, Tumblr: theartofimagining13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 16:29:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12586000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Wolf/pseuds/A_Wolf
Summary: Doctor Robert Laing takes his students to the morgue. By a twist of fate, he’s asked to perform an autopsy and he finds himself dealing with something without a scientific explanation; an old legend that might be more than just that.





	"Anna Molly" - [A Robert Laing(Tom Hiddleston)/Sebastian Stan Halloween story]

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Mention of suicide. If you scare easily or find any mention of anything religious offensive, you are not going to enjoy this.
> 
> Happy Halloween!

**Originally posted at** : [The Art of Imagining](http://theartofimagining13.tumblr.com/).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**Ambience** : *Play each when mentioned in the story*  _[Thunderstorm](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5fNLEPrNi2A&t=OTU0NWM0NGFjY2JmMGZjODYzYWJhMzYzYmFlZjg5ODA5OGU0ZTNlNSwwWnlGSU81UQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AzeG4skxCIV8hyNva5Yxu7A&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheartofimagining13.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166998092672%2Fanna&m=1) // [Radio song 1](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DnH0vjLwMyc4&t=ZTlhNWU5MGIxMzRlNDc5MmQ4MWViMTgxYWIzNGI4ZTc3NDY4ZDFhMiwwWnlGSU81UQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AzeG4skxCIV8hyNva5Yxu7A&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheartofimagining13.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166998092672%2Fanna&m=1) // [Radio song 2](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzDlKb2cBAqU&t=YmVkMmZjZTE4OWNjNjM3MWE4MmRlY2ZiMmQ0YTlkYzk4NGY0OTFjYywwWnlGSU81UQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AzeG4skxCIV8hyNva5Yxu7A&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheartofimagining13.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166998092672%2Fanna&m=1) _ (Links will appear in the story as well).

* * *

1978.

In the small town of Fallbury, England.

Doctor Robert Laing had taken his medical school students to the morgue of an old colleague of his. He skillfully cracked open a severed head in front of them while narrating through the process so they could take notes. More than one of them had felt nauseous. A couple others got shivers up their spines as he pulled the scalp forward and over the face of the beheaded man; a sight none of them would ever forget and were supposed to get used to.

 _“You have two days to write a report on everything you learned today”_ , Laing said as he took off his white latex gloves stained with blood, and threw them in the hazardous waste container before dismissing everybody.

One of his students, Sebastian, rolled his eyes at his best friend almost making her laugh. Everyone gathered their notebooks and put them back into their backpacks while Laing thoroughly washed his hands in the sink on the opposite side of the room.

 _“Hey, can I ride with you?”_  She asked Sebastian.

He raised his eyebrows and gave an apologetic grimace as he opened his lab coat to reveal the all-white scrub set he was wearing underneath.

_“Mr.Olson?”_

_“Yeah. The old man gets to tell me all about how he met his wife tonight,”_  Sebastian sighed,  _“It’ll be the 12 th time I hear that story ever since his family hired me,”_ he glanced at his watch, _“And I’m already late. Sorry, doll”._

 _“Have fun bathing the elderly man”,_ she teased.

 _“So much for Halloween night”,_  Sebastian made a face as he swung his backpack over his shoulder before getting closer to her to whisper,  _“Hey, watch out for Doctor Caligari over there, all right?”_

He motioned at Laing who was arranging things in his briefcase.

 _“Goodbye, Sebastian,”_ she gently pushed him away.

 _“Do you still love me?”_ He yelled as he walked out.

_“That’s debatable now”._

Sebastian winked at her and left. She shook her head and let out a silent chuckle.

She noticed that Sebastian had left his  _“Gray’s Anatomy”_  textbook on top of hers, and she thought she could catch up with him to return it before he left. But when she was about to go out the metal door and after him, for she could still see him through its window, it closed all of a sudden startling her. She turned her head to the right and noticed Laing standing behind her with his right arm going over her shoulder and his hand pressing the door shut.

 _“A word?”_  he asked.

She faced him and looked straight into his blue eyes, still holdingthe book tightly against her chest as he towered over her.

 _“Have you told him about us or will I have to fail him on purpose?”_  He asked and half joked while ending the remaining distance between them and slowly wrapping an arm around her waist to purr his next words,  _“I don’t like sharing”._

Laing pressed his body against hers before gingerly capturing her lips with his. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she let go of the heavy book which landed on the floor with a loud thud as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When Laing deepened the kiss and his hands went under her lab jacket, she knew he wouldn’t stop there, so she pulled away.

 _“Not here, professor”,_  she said with a mischievous smile.

Laing groaned.

 _“Do not call me that then. Lesson’s over, and don’t change the subject”,_ he said.

_“Sebastian’s my friend. And I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about us”._

_“You don’t have to give him any details. Just tell him there’s man in your life so he can piss off”._

He bent down to pick up the book for her.

_“Need a lift?”_

His question seemed innocent but she knew that if she said yes, he’d only drive to his place without asking. Divorcé Doctor Robert Laing had acquired a taste for his young student, and the two maintained a relationship despite the age difference and the line between student and teacher that wasn’t supposed to be crossed, but it had become a blur for the two of them long ago. It would certainly be frowned upon by others, it would definitely get Laing in trouble, but it was the risk and the thrill of the forbidden that made it twice as satisfactory for them.

 _“I’m afraid I have a long report to write”,_  she said teasing him,  _“I have this teacher who can be such a pain in the ass sometimes”._

Laing raised his eyebrows, feigning offense. He was about to retort when the black rotary wall phone rang and echoed in the cold autopsy room, suddenly reminding his student of her eerie surroundings and making her slightly nervous.

 _“Laing”,_  he answered and frowned as he listened,  _“Right now? No. That’s all right. I’ll take care of it”._

 _“Everything okay?”_  she asked as soon as he hung up and ran his fingers through his hair, looking tired all at once.

_“They’re bringing in a body”._

* * *

The lovers were standing outside the mortuary as the sun set behind the gray clouds and the air grew colder.

Laing pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his lab coat’s pocket and offered her one, which she refused, then lit one up for himself.

 _“Did you call the coroner?”_  she asked.

 _“Did you call a cab?”_  he changed the subject while glancing up at the sky and blowing out the cigarette smoke,  _“Looks like it’s going to rain”._

As if on cue, they heard thunder as the day went grey.

_“Shit”._

_“They’re here”_ , Laing said as he threw the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it.

The last of the sunlight had died and a [heavy rainfall began all of a sudden](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5fNLEPrNi2A&t=OTU0NWM0NGFjY2JmMGZjODYzYWJhMzYzYmFlZjg5ODA5OGU0ZTNlNSwwWnlGSU81UQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AzeG4skxCIV8hyNva5Yxu7A&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheartofimagining13.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166998092672%2Fanna&m=1) as the coroner’s black van pulled up at the morgue. The young driver got out in a rush and opened the rear doors. Laing ran up to him to help him roll out the stretcher with the black body bag on top; both men working in a hurry because of the inconvenient weather. They walked through the long hallway that led to the autopsy room, pushing the stretcher. Infused with curiosity, Laing’s student followed close behind.

 _“I’m not going to lie, Laing. It’s ugly.”_  the driver started,  _“She was found in the basement of an abandoned house. Hanged.”_

Robert looked at him with a worried expression. Once in the autopsy room, each man grabbed one end of the bag and carried it to the autopsy table. Then the younger man placed the police report next to it.

 _“No ID. We’re counting on the autopsy”,_ the driver added.

 _“The dead do tell stories”,_ Laing sighed looking at the body bag.

 _“Hopefully”,_  the driver said,  _“The police want results before sunrise”._

 _“The police?”_ Laing asked with furrowed eyebrows.

_“The body was hovering above a blood pentagram and the room was full of black candles. Reason enough to believe that this wasn’t a suicide and that a cult might be involved”._

Laing glanced at the young man and gave a single nod as his student stood nearby, horrified yet naturally intrigued.

_“I’m on it”._

_“Thanks for doing this, Laing. My dad’s still in bed. He really appreciates it”._

_“Don’t mention it, Johnny. Give him my best”._

Johnny shook hands with Laing, then glanced at the student and gave a shy nod before leaving.

 _“Wait. You’re performing the autopsy?”_  she asked.

 _“The only coroner in town is sick. I am the best next thing”_ , Laing clarified,  _“I used to be Johnny’s father’s assistant during my college years. I owe him a lot”._

Laing walked over to the autopsy table and picked up the police report.

 _“So you’re going to stay here all night?”_  She asked sounding worried,  _“By yourself?”_

He was about to unzip the body bag but he stopped and looked at her.

 _“Up for some extra classes?”_ he inquired.

_“We’re going to need coffee”._

* * *

The student arrived at the morgue again in Laing’s car, and got out carrying a couple of plastic bags from the nearest grocery store, which contained canned coffee, water, and a few biscuits that would keep them both functioning until sunrise.

When she walked in, she could hear the radio in the autopsy room, and Laing humming along to [ _“Can’t Stand Losing You”_  by The Police.](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DnH0vjLwMyc4&t=ZTlhNWU5MGIxMzRlNDc5MmQ4MWViMTgxYWIzNGI4ZTc3NDY4ZDFhMiwwWnlGSU81UQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AzeG4skxCIV8hyNva5Yxu7A&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheartofimagining13.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166998092672%2Fanna&m=1) She found him getting all the tools ready for the procedure, and stared at him for several seconds wishing she could be as nonchalant and practical around a body one day. Dead or alive. Feelings had to go out the window if she wanted to be a good doctor, and the opportunity to help him with the autopsy was a good start. As soon as he saw her, he grabbed the plastic bags, and like a gentleman, went into the back room to make the coffee. In the meantime, she grabbed the police report and studied it.

_“Very well, Doctor Laing… pop my autopsy cherry”._

Laing smiled and joined her again. He stood before the body bag, and she instinctively stood behind him, nerves making her stomach clench.

 _“Are you sure you can handle it?”_ Laing inquired.

She swallowed hard but nodded.

_“It can’t be worse than the severed head, right?”_

Laing slowly unzipped the bag, and she held her breath expecting the worst. But both of them frowned at the sight of the dead young woman with dark hair and shut eyes.

 _“She looks like she’s asleep”,_  she said, slightly surprised yet reassuring herself.

_“Okay, let’s go step by step. This is done in four stages. An external evaluation is imminent”._

She and Laing put on their latex gloves. She watched him pull her out of the body bag and re-adjust her on the autopsy table, but as he moved her, the sound of a bell ringing echoed in the room. Laing glanced at the cadaver’s foot, noticing a golden bell tied around one of her ankles.

 _“What is that for?”_  she asked nervously.

 _“It’s an ancient tradition really, to make sure the person’s dead. Lots of mistakes were made in the past and this was a good way to prevent premature burials. Johnny must’ve tied it”,_ Laing said.

His student glanced at the small bell and couldn’t help but feel a pinch of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.

 _“But… she killed herself,”_ she said making it sound like a question.

Laing took a deep breath and exhaled.

“ _You’d be surprised to learn the things that have happened before”,_ he said prior to changing his tone to a professional one _, “What can you tell me so far?”_

She walked around the autopsy table and grabbed a medical pen light.

 _“The subject appears to be in her early twenties. Caucasian. No outward signs of bleeding but ligature marks around the neck, most likely from the rope. Hair… black. Eyes-”,_ She switched on the pen light andplaced her thumb on her eyelid to pull the left eye open, but as soon as she did, she let out a quiet gasp and stepped back.

The thunder and lightning outside weren’t helping her nerves.

Laing took the pen light from her hand and aimed it at the dead woman’s eyes. They were completely black, not a bit of white left in them which made the cadaver look demonic.

 _“Is that normal?”_  she asked with a trembling voice.

_“When a person dies, they stop producing tears and the blood circulation ceases, which causes the cornea to lose its glisten, therefore the eye color changes and it becomes dull or opaque. However, I’ve never seen anything like this”._

Laing opened her right eyelid, and the student swallowed hard at the sight of both black eyes. She suddenly felt watched and as if someone was trying to warn her to stay away. She took a deep breath and forced herself to shake the silly thought; she was a woman of science, not fiction.

 _“There’s no livor mortis. Discoloration of the skin”_ , Laing clarified for her.

She gently gripped the woman’s wrist with her right hand and grabbed her elbow with her left one to flex it without success.

_“She’s certainly cold and…stiff”._

_“Rigor mortis”,_  Laing corrected,  _“It starts between two or six hours following death”,_ he said as he felt her neck and jaw also finding rigidness.

_“I don’t get it. The body is not fresh but she’s not showing signs of decomposition either”._

The student stared at the dead woman, then at Laing who could sense her rising fear.

 _“Darling, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to”,_  he said,  _“We can call a cab”._

_“No way. I’m not getting into a stranger’s car”._

_“The coffee must be ready. There’s a TV in the back room, you can wait there while I finish”._

She hesitated for a moment, but she knew she had to get used to it all. The thirst for knowledge prompted her to shake her head.

_“I’m fine”._

_“Should I turn off the radio?”_

_“No. The music actually helps”._

Laing nodded but took over. He checked her hands and aimed the pen light at her nostrils.

_“No sign of inflammation in the nasal passages, no fluid or foreign substances. Ear canals… clear”._

He proceeded to carefully grip the woman’s chin to open her mouth.

 _“Bloody hell?”_  he mumbled while narrowing his eyes as he tried to get a closer look into her throat, “ _Hand me the forceps”._

Laing’s student did as she was told and witnessed how he used them to retrieve a small black cross, and as he pulled it out, she realized it was attached to something else.

“ _What the fuck is that?”_  she asked.

She could feel the fear creeping up her spine as she witnessed how Laing pulled out a rosary.

 _“Someone forced this down her throat”,_ he said sounding nervous for the first time.

 _“Then they hanged her. Or was that done post-mortem?”_ She asked, genuinely afraid.

_“Post-mortem. We had no signs of outward bruising, remember? If it had been done while she was still alive, she would’ve put up a fight. There’d be signs of struggle”._

Even Laing himself found it hard to breathe. He thought he had seen it all. His student remained frozen in place and he knew he had to pull himself together; otherwise he wouldn’t finish the job.

 _“Uhm… b-bag it, please”,_  he stuttered then cleared his throat,  _“We better send that to the lab. See if they can find any foreign substances”._

While she busied herself, Laing analyzed the dead woman’s hair but found nothing strange.

 _“This can’t be…”_  He murmured to himself as he had an epiphany.

His student stared at him expectantly. Laing walked over to the shelf in the corner of the room, which contained a useful selection of books and picked out a red hardcover one with  _“Legends of Fallbury”_  written in gold letters. He flipped through the pages.

_“There was this old legend parents used to tell their children to get them to behave. God knows I heard it once or twice while growing up.”_

_“What does that have to do with this?”_ She asked.

_“The blood pentagram, the rosary… it rings a bell.”_

Laing found the page he was looking for and read between the lines out loud as his student listened carefully.

_“Anna Molly was born in England in 1583… here in Fallbury. She lived alone in a cabin in the wooded area and was rarely seen in town. This all prompted kids who used to play nearby to make up scary stories and refer to her as ‘the witch who lived in the woods’. When George A. Holloway, a 10-year-old mysteriously disappeared in the woods, the tale became believable, and when reclusive Anna wouldn’t join the search parties nor show interest in the small town’s tragedy, she earned the nickname ‘Improba’ among the townies (“Heartless” in Latin). More children started to disappear. Desperate to find someone to blame, people started harassing Anna by stoning her cabin and starting up rumors which escalated the moment someone claimed to have broken into her home and allegedly found a blood pentagram on the floor. She was accused of witchcraft and trialed for the disappearance of over 16 kids, and hanged at 20 years of age on October 31 st 1603. While she never admitted nor denied being linked to the missing children, her last words were ‘I’ll be seeing you’. A priest shoved a blessed rosary down her throat, and her lifeless body was set on fire. For years, the people of Fallbury remembered the last words she spoke, and feared that Anna Molly would return and take revenge”._

The student gave Laing a look of disbelief.

 _“This…”_  she started,  _“This is not… Anna Molly”._

_“Of course not. She died in 1603. But this is clearly a sort of… homage or… copycat crime”._

_“But the pentagram… it makes no sense”._

_“What about the candles Johnny mentioned?”_

_“Clearly, some wacko was trying to… I don’t know… summon her?”_

Laing sighed heavily.

_“I need a cigarette before we cut her open”._

_“I’ll pour the coffee and join you outside”,_  she said.

Laing went out the back door while she went into the back room to grab two mugs. All of a sudden she could hear the music slowly fading into static. She went back into the autopsy room and stared at the radio, which went back to normal. The room seemed colder somehow, and she was oddly aware of the fact that she was alone with a corpse. She felt the urge to join Laing outside, but as she walked away, the lights flickered freezing her in place. Her eyes went wide and her heartbeat stuttered. Then the lights flickered again and went out, leaving her in complete darkness. She wanted to run but the sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway and getting closer made it impossible for her to move. One by one, they got louder in the dark, and she stared at the door in complete horror, hoping not to see something or someone through its window.

The door burst open, making her jump then stiffen. The lights went on.

 _“Why the hell are all the lights off?”_  Sebastian asked with an annoyed look on his face, and his right hand on the switch.

Her soul returned to her body and she was filled with relief, instantly remembering how to breathe.

 _“Why the hell are you still here?”_  He asked having a sudden realization.

 _“Oh my god”,_  she breathed out as she dragged a hand down her face,  _“I-I’m helping Professor Laing with an autopsy. What the hell are you doing here?”_

_“I think I forgot my book here. The Olsons let me go early today.”_

_“Your book’s in my backpack.”_

But Sebastian ignored her and got closer to the autopsy table to study the dead woman.

 _“Holy shit”,_ he exclaimed when he looked into her black eyes _, “What happened to Jane Doe over here?”_  He used his right index finger to ring the bell tied around her ankle.

_“Apparently she hanged herself but we’re not so sure anymore”._

Sebastian put his hands on his waist with raised eyebrows while still staring at the corpse. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the back door opening and closing again. Laing fixed his blue eyes on Sebastian, who forced a smile.

_“Stan. What are you doing here?”_

But his lover answered instead.

_“He forgot his book, he’s leav-”_

_“Can I help?”_ Sebastian asked.

* * *

Sebastian snapped the red book shut and huffed.

 _“What the fuck?”_  was all he could say.

His friend nodded. Both she and Laing explained everything about the autopsy and told him to read the legend.

 _“What now?”_  He inquired.

Laing grabbed the scalpel and made a Y shaped incision starting at the top of each of her shoulders and running down the front of the chest, meeting at the lower point of the sternum. She bled. The dark blood ran down the table to the drain at the end of it.

 _“That’s not normal”,_  Sebastian said,  _“Not in that amount at least. The lack of cardiac functionality makes it impossible. It should be coagulated at least”._

The three of them shared looks before Laing spoke again.

_“Hand me the rib cutters”._

Laing proceeded to cut through the woman’s ribs. The cracking sound of the bones made both students shut their eyes briefly as it reverberated through their own bodies and minds, and they could see the slight movement of the cadaver caused by Laing’s exertion with the cutters. The music faded into static for the second time that night, and the three of them fixed their eyes on the radio as the stations changed on their own until frequency was found again and the volume went up.

[A 1944 Billie Holiday song could be heard](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzDlKb2cBAqU&t=YmVkMmZjZTE4OWNjNjM3MWE4MmRlY2ZiMmQ0YTlkYzk4NGY0OTFjYywwWnlGSU81UQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AzeG4skxCIV8hyNva5Yxu7A&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheartofimagining13.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166998092672%2Fanna&m=1). The pleasant piano melody resonated in the cold autopsy room but its lyrics made their blood run cold and the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

_“I’ll be seeing you_

_In all the old familiar places_

_That this heart of mine embraces…”_

Neither of them could take their widened eyes off the radio.

 _“Turn that off”,_ Laing demanded in a collected tone.

Sebastian followed orders.

 _“I don’t think we should be doing this”,_  Laing’s lover nervously said.

 _“You heard Johnny. The police want results before sunrise”,_  he retorted but he looked at Sebastian,  _“Take her home”._

 _“There’s no way I’m letting you stay here”_ , she complained.

Sebastian’s eyes shifted between the two of them before he spoke.

 _“Why don’t we just… put her in the cold chamber and come back in the morning? Hopefully the rain will be gone by then and we’ll be well-rested and less… nervous. We can tell the police the power went out or something,”_  Sebastian rambled on.

Laing pondered on it, staring at the corpse, then at his students. Her black eyes seemed to be staring back.

_“I already cut her open. I cannot just leave her like that”._

_“We can remove the organs and store them in the refrigerator to sew her shut for the night,”_ she said.

Laing took a deep breath and exhaled.

_“All right”._

He left the rib cutters on the table behind him with the rest of the autopsy tools. Then he slowly lifted off her chest plate, and he went pale, his face fell. Laing took a step back with his blue eyes wide enough to become watery out of sheer fear, and in the process, he accidentally knocked the tools over. The students grimaced at the sound of the metal hitting the ground but it didn’t matter once they looked at their teacher who couldn’t look away from the corpse.

The students followed his line of sight, glancing at the dead woman’s insides.

She had no heart.

 _“We need to get the fuck out of here”,_  Laing breathed out, not caring about procedure order anymore,  _“The cold chamber”._

He and Sebastian rushed to lift the tray off the autopsy table while she opened the third door of the cold chamber so they could store the body inside. Laing closed it and the three of them removed their latex gloves and threw them in the trash before grabbing their belongings. Lightning struck outside and the lights flickered in the morgue as they ran towards the metal door. She got out first, then Laing, but the door banged shut on its own before Sebastian could get out. He looked at them through its window as he tried to open it but it was locked. They tried to open it from the other side but nothing worked, it was stuck. They looked into Sebastian’s terrified blue eyes before the lights went out.

Loud noises were heard coming from inside the autopsy room. Metal banging, glass breaking, rushed steps, stomping.

 _“Sebastian!?”_  She screamed while pressing her ear to the door and banging on it with her right fist.

 _“Get out of the way”,_  Laing ordered as he took a few steps back.

He kicked the door open and not a single sound could be heard afterwards. There was only silence and darkness.

 _“Sebastian?”_  She called out as she slowly stepped into the room.

The lights went on.

Sebastian’s lifeless body was hanging from the ceiling with a rope tied around his neck, hovering above the autopsy table. Air escaped her lungs and her knees almost gave in as she went paler than a corpse. Laing’s heartbeat stuttered and his blood ran cold like it never had before. She wanted to scream but her throat closed up. Laing knew they they had to leave but they could not move. Metal squeaked. Once, twice. But there was no air current. She looked up at the cold chamber to see door number three squeaking open at a glacial pace.

 _“L-Laing…”_  She breathed out as her eyes welled up with tears,  _“Laing”._

Robert put his hands on her shoulders and noticed how her whole body trembled. Then he followed her line of sight.

The cold chamber was empty. The dead woman’s body gone.

They suddenly felt watched and far from alone in the cold morgue.

In the long and dark hallway, behind them, a bell rang.


End file.
